Review of We Are All Guilty Here (North Falls #1) by Karin Slaughter

I like a story driven by a female investigaor of a main protagonist, and in this small-town mystery and tragedy, officer Emmy Clifton comes into her own. The situation quickly becomes dark and twisted, and Slaughter builds tension without red herrings or manipulation.

In Karin Slaughter's We Are All Guilty Here, Emmy Clifton is a police officer for whom the job is all in the family--her aging father is the sheriff.

It's the Fourth of July, and all hands are on deck with the police for the town's fireworks, crowd control, public nuisances, traffic snarls, and who knows what else.

So when Emmy's best friend's teen daughter Madison brushes her off, then shows up, needy and asking for help, Emmy doesn't have time for the drama.

But when Madison and her best friend go missing that night, Emmy realizes the girls have been keeping dark secrets and tangling with sinister figures.

The sordid back story quickly shows itself to be twisted, preying, and horrifying.

Spoiler; the girls aren't brought home safely, and early on the reader becomes aware that they are beyond saving. The only measure of satisfaction will be in Emmy's bringing the killers to justice.

Slaughter doesn't rely on red herrings, and she adds in unexpected losses that complicate the truth-finding process. I didn't predict the identity of the bad guy, and while the interconnectedness of those at fault seemed like a little bit of a stretch, like calls to like, and it seems plausible that damaged, sick individuals would be drawn to each other.

I love a female officer/investigator driving the search for truth and justice, and Emmy is faulted, clever, learning how to be savvy, and taking on some of the mantle of her father's position.

More Slaughter and More Bossy Mysteries

I listened to this story as an audiobook. Karin Slaughter is the author of approximately 25 books.

For other mysteries I've read and Bossily reviewed, please check out the titles at this link.